Butterflies in your stomach – YNWA

Can you remember getting butterflies in your stomach

At a time when you were anxious or excited or both

Perhaps on your wedding day

Just before going on stage to perform

At the start of an important exam

During a job interview

Responding to a 911 call

Or falling in love

Your body is programmed

To react to your emotions

Your brain triggers the release of hormones

Giving you a burst of extra energy

And rewarding you with the sensation of pleasure

I can remember getting butterflies on such occasions

But in my case I get them at least twice a week at fixed times

Certainly around 3pm GMT of Saturdays 

When Liverpool usually play in the English Premier League

Today they kick off at 5.30pm un the UK

That is 12.30pm Eastern time in the US

My butterflies have been building up for a few days now

They woke me up this morning

They will be swarming in my tummy at 12.29pm

Just before the game with rivals Arsenal

I know they will soon settle down

Each time Liverpool have possession

My butterflies are instantly forgotten 

When Liverpool score a goal

The joy is off the Richter scale

But the butterflies will be back today

Every time Arsenal gain possession

Its exhausting repeatedly launching butterflies inside you

Fortunately the game only lasts 90 minutes

I pray for a perfect result before and during every game

Liverpool 3-1 Butterflies

YNWA

The balance of nature

By Guest Author JH Huzzah

Mother Nature and Father Time resided in the heart of a mystical forest. Their existence spanned eons, and they had forever found themselves in an unyielding conflict. Mother Nature was the embodiment of life and growth, while Father Time was the harbinger of change and decay. Their differences became a chasm, leaving them barely able to stand each other’s presence.

One day, a young woman named Anya was wandering through the forest when she came upon Mother Nature and Father Time in a heated argument. She was taken aback to see them so angry, shouting at one another, and she asked them what was wrong.

“Father Time is always trying to change things,” Mother Nature said angrily. “He is incredibly oblivious to the damage that he causes to my world. He is indifferent to the natural wonders that I created and does nothing to protect it!”

Father Time, cloaked in somber wisdom, calmly responded, “But things can’t stay the same forever.” He continued, “Change is inevitable. The world is constantly evolving, and I am simply the keeper of time. I am the one who ensures that the seasons turn, trees grow, and the animals evolve, and then in time they must fade. Without me, the world would be a stagnant place.”

Mother Nature protested, “You don’t care about me at all. Your foreboding scythe that you carry symbolizes the very essence of death! You are apathetic and careless with the resources that I provide!” 

“I must make everything die at some point,” Father Time responded with melancholy. “Without death, the world would never change, and new life would never begin.” 

Anya listened thoughtfully to their argument, and she could see that they were both right. She understood that for there to be harmony in the world a balance must be struck. Mother Nature was right to want to protect the natural world, but Father Time was also right that change is inevitable.

“I think you both have a point,” Anya said. “Father Time, you should pause and appreciate the beauty of the natural world as it is now, and you should do everything you can to protect it. But Mother Nature, you must also understand that change is a natural part of life. It’s what makes the world interesting and dynamic, even if death is necessary outcome of that change.”

In that moment, they both saw the truth in her words. The very fabric of existence demanded harmony between them. They had never seen eye to eye before, but they could see that Anya was right. They both had a role to play in the in the tapestry of the world, and they needed to work together to create a balance between life, and death, and change.

From that day on, Mother Nature and Father Time were no longer at odds. They gained a newfound respect for one another and worked together to create a balanced world that was both beautiful and dynamic. The seasons changed, the forests flourished, and the animals evolved. Yet the beauty of the natural world was still protected and cherished.

Failed construction

we are fortunate to live on a bay teeming with wild birds

herons stealthily strut the marsh edges looking for food

spending hours motionless before striking at their prey

swallowing fish whole is their speciality cabaret show

ducks are the little soldiers on the bay parade ground

swimmingly along in formation to the quack of their drill sergeant

geese fly by our home in a perfect V formation

an avian airshow with silent motors and pooping exhausts 

bald eagles nest somewhere nearby

majestically perched in high trees surveying the water

this king of the raptors is a hells angel on wings

nobody messes with this flying Harley Davidson

ospreys build nests on structures in the water

every channel marker adorned with masses of twigs

platforms have been built specially for them

but the one nearest our home is in very bad shape

wrecked in a storm the pole is precariously leaning 

only a single plank remains of the nesting platform

every year a pair of ospreys tries to build here

no pre-purchase surveys in the nesting bird real estate market

a finished osprey nest is probably too heavy for this leaning tower

it would be a tragedy if their completed nest collapsed with young inside

we watch the homebuilding ospreys spending days gathering twigs

gliding back for assembly on that narrow single plank

frequently their building material rolls into the water

they keep coming back and somehow start to weave them together

but then it all slides off the sloping plank when the wind blows strong

they sit on their now bare perch wings folded and dejected

the female saying to her mate “I told you it would not work here

as he flies off in search of more twigs to prove her wrong

they usually give up after three or four weeks

I wonder where they go after their failed construction 

maybe they give up altogether on homebuilding

perhaps falling into the clutches of slum nest rental landlords

I did think about adding some more planks to the damaged platform

I took a kayak right up close because its very shallow around that pole

but once I saw how badly damaged that pole was

I decided not to intervene

leave it all to nature

Morning Mantra

Its your time to rise up

Leave the darkness behind

Forget your bad dreams

Watch the sunrise

Smile

Fill your heart with light

Recharge your kindness batteries

Smile

Soak up the silence

Breathe deep

Blink slowly

Let the world creep in

At your own pace

Live your morning dream

Smile

Do something creative

Make outrageously ambitious plans

Drink tea

Eat breakfast

smile

Start conquering

Repeat daily

Beautiful day

Beautiful day

Clear skies

Birds sing

Fluffy clouds

No rain

Gentle breeze

Pregnant pause

Winds roar

Racing clouds

Darkness looming

Roaring thunder

Blackness descends

Howling winds

Rustling leaves

Trees swaying

Birds silent

Crashing thunder

Lightening flash

Torrential rain

Instant flooding

Angry skies

Booming thunder

Lightening strikes

Torrential downpour

Floods everywhere

Rain stops

Still sounds

Steam rising

Floods subside

Clouds disperse

Blue skies

Birds sing

Beautiful day

Millions of unwelcome guests

water constantly shapes the landscape 

millions of miniature mystical molecules mingling and meandering

changing temperatures dictate their collective state of mind

they can either float in the sea, run on the land, sleep in a bed of ice or fly in the sky

one day the bay was frozen

the next it was all melted

surface waters could once again invite the wind to dance

together they skipped all over the bay like kids running from school

sad soggy brown grasses reemerged from the snow blanket

animals returned to forage after a frozen fast

birds flew in a snowless sky

fish jumped to taste the warm air

the bay woke slowly from its chilling slumber

its freed waters resumed their wandering with tides and winds

evaporating water molecules were trapped by warm air

millions of unwelcome molecular guests hovered over the bay to make fog

without caring, they mischievously schemed to blot out my view of the sun and sky

eventually the sun intervened in this dispute

banishing them all up into the clouds

to rain on somebody else’s distant parade

water is the paint on the landscape canvas

the artist’s brush never stops moving

his imagination is endless

I will forever be in awe thanks to his infinite supply of paint